Mimicking direct protein-protein and solvent-mediated interactions in the CDP-methylerythritol kinase homodimer: a pharmacophore-directed virtual screening approach.

Abstract

The 2C-methylerythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway for the biosynthesis of isopentenyl pyrophosphate and its isomer dimethylallyl pyrophosphate, which are the precursors of isoprenoids, is present in plants, in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum and in most eubacteria, including pathogenic agents. However, the MEP pathway is absent from fungi and animals, which have exclusively the mevalonic acid pathway. Given the characteristics of the MEP pathway, its enzymes represent potential targets for the generation of selective antibacterial, antimalarial and herbicidal molecules. We have focussed on the enzyme 4-(cytidine 5'-diphospho)-2-C-methyl-D-erythritol kinase (CMK), which catalyses the fourth reaction step of the MEP pathway. A molecular dynamics simulation was carried out on the CMK dimer complex, and protein-protein interactions analysed, considering also water-mediated interactions between monomers. In order to find small molecules that bind to CMK and disrupt dimer formation, interactions observed in the dynamics trajectory were used to model a pharmacophore used in database searches. Using an intensity-fading matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry approach, one compound was found to interact with CMK. The data presented here indicate that a virtual screening approach can be used to identify candidate molecules that disrupt the CMK-CMK complex. This strategy can contribute to speeding up the discovery of new antimalarial, antibacterial, and herbicidal compounds.

• Authors: Victor Giménez-Oya, Oscar Villacañas, Xavier Fernàndez-Busquets, Jaime Rubio-Martinez, Santiago Imperial
• Journal: Journal of molecular modeling (J Mol Model) Vol. 15 Issue 8 Pg. 997-1007 (Aug 2009) ISSN: 0948-5023 [Electronic] Germany
• PMID: 19198899 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Escherichia coli Proteins
• Solvents
• Phosphotransferases
• cmk protein, E coli

Topics

• Computer Simulation
• Crystallography, X-Ray
• Drug Design
• Escherichia coli Proteins (chemistry, genetics, metabolism)
• Models, Molecular
• Phosphotransferases (chemistry, genetics, metabolism)
• Protein Binding
• Protein Multimerization
• Protein Structure, Quaternary
• Protein Structure, Tertiary
• Solvents (chemistry)
• Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
• Static Electricity